Stuck in between
by Obsidian Buterfly
Summary: Li Syaoran is ur average 17 year old boy wth normal interest such as soccer and hanging out with frnds. Only problem is he is anything bt normal, unless you can consider the ability to mediate btw ghosts and the living normal Warning:AU,Dead characters
1. Prologue

It's raining again._ I thought ruefully as I reached out with my cupped hand, letting the rain water collect in my palm and trail down my arm in tiny rivulets as I was soaked. Thunder roared overhead but I paid it no mind, walking down the empty streets with my head bowed low till my feet came to a halt on the sidewalk outside a small yet comfortable looking house. The curtains were parted in the dining room window and small golden beams of light cast traces of beautiful shimmering patterns on the grass outside as the sky continued to weep its heart out. I was unnoticed by the residents of the household thanks to it being nigh. The fact that I was standing in the shadows, away from the streetlamps, also helped._

_Inside the dry, warm and comfortable house, I could see the grinning face of a seventeen year old girl with eyes brighter than the most precious gems this world could offer and a smile that could probably outshine the sun itself, her shoulder length hair tied back in a loose ponytail._

_Heaving a sigh, I watched her set the dinner table with her brother, oblivious to the world around me._

"_You shouldn't stay out in the rain," I heard a solemn voice speak up from behind me. "You'll get sick."_

"_Does it even matter?" I responded tonelessly. _

"_You shouldn't give up on her so soon. There's still hope."_

"_No," I shook my head, turning away from the window, "I don't want to put her through all that pain." I shoved my fists deeper into the pockets of my jeans, "just so she can remember what is better left forgotten."_

_And then without casting another glance over my shoulder, I walked away, the wetness of my eyes covered by the rain water pouring down my face._


	2. Not Another One

With a quiet sigh, I set my bag near the edge of my bed.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour," my mother announced as she watched me look around my new room. The clock on the wall announced the time to be somewhere in around 6:45 pm. "Please come downstairs by then."

"I will mom," I replied with a small smile.

"Alright," she turned to leave but stopped at the door. "I almost forgot. Your father got the admission forms for your new school. They're on your table. Fill them out today, okay?"

Sure enough, I could see the printed pages sitting atop the glass top study table, next to my laptop.

"Sure," I replied, reaching out for the forms. That was when it happened. A sudden chill ran down my spine, making me freeze midway.

"Honey, are you alright?' my mother's concerned voice spread warmth throughout my being, dispelling the chilling effect completely.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine mom." I replied, quickly snatching the papers from the desk. Seeing me read through the forms, my mother shook her head in exasperation and turned to leave, "be in time for dinner." She reminded me as the door closed behind her.

I waited with bated breath as her footsteps grew distant. I dropped the sheets and whirled around when I could no longer hear her. I scanned my room with narrowed eyes, a scowl making its way onto my face.

The walls of this room were completely white, except for the one with the window in it. This side had pale pink wallpaper glued to it. Every few inches, there were small black kittens which seemed to be playing with brightly colored cherries.

The right side of the room has a walk in closet and a bathroom next to it. In one corner, my bed had been set up. A large, glass and steel, book rack was erected against the wallpapered wall, currently devoid of any books. Several square cartons were placed before it, which held all the books that I had managed to accumulate while travelling all over the country.

"I know you're here," I said quietly. "Show yourself."

Not a moment later, the chilling feeling vanished.

"God! My life officially sucks…" I groaned out loud as I ran a hand through my hair and slumped on my bed.

After half an hour of sulking and doing absolutely nothing, my gaze fell on the cartons stacked against the rack. Deciding that I might as well unpack those, I got up from my spot and crouched next to the smallest box.

Somewhere in between my second last and the last carton, my mother brought a few sandwiches and a glass of juice.

"Isn't it about time you had some dinner and got to bed?" she smiled fondly as she set the tray on the table. "It's eleven thirty."

I dusted the last book and set it in its place before turning around to face her with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry mom, I guess I lost track of time."

"Of course you did honey," despite my being seventeen years of age, my mom still managed to ruffle my hair in affection.

-0-

I woke up a couple of hours before sunrise I think. The sky outside was still pretty dark. In my half-asleep state, my groggy brain, only managed to register the coldness of the room as I made my way across the room towards the bathroom.

I cast a sleepy gaze around my room, shivering in the cold as I climbed into my bed. Cell-phone charging on the table, digital clock blinking on the rack, a strange girl sitting at the foot of my bed, cardboard boxes stacked against the wall…

Wait a minute.

Strange girl sitting on my bed?

My eyes did a backtrack, only to see… empty space.

"Not again," I fell against the pillow with a frustrated groan. "_Why_ do those things have to follow me?"

Even, buried beneath the covers, my body kept on shivering. Not in fright, mind you. I never feared them. Not even when I was a kid. It was just that they froze up everything around me, whenever they were nearby. But I was the only one who could feel the change.

My mom never felt it.

My dad never felt.

My teachers never felt it.

None of my friends or any kid my age ever felt it.

It was always just me.

It's always just me.

Even if I never asked to be like this, it's still always just me.

Oh, you must be wondering, who the hell am I, right? Am I some blue-eyed bespectacled kid who loves to whine and complain or something?

Nope sorry, that would be Watanuki from xxxHolic. _**(A/N: I don't have anything against the guy, btw. A friend pointed this out while she read this so I just had to add it in here.)**_

My name is Syaoran Li and I am your average seventeen year old boy.

Well most of the times anyways. See I have a small problem.

I can see ghosts.

Yeah, that's right.

Ghosts.

I know what you're thinking. You're all probably rolling your eyes and going 'what a retard'.

Well let me tell you something. No I am not crazy and I do in fact posses the ability to see the departed souls that have yet to crossover to the next world or wherever the hell they go.

But that in itself is not the problem. The problem happens to be that fact that no matter where I go, those stubborn things always manage to find me and refuse to leave me the hell alone!

Why?

Because I can see them…

Okay, so maybe my seeing ghosts _is_ the base of the problem. But that is not the point here.

The point it that thanks to those things deciding on following me around for the rest of my living days, I can never have a normal life. Even though I am a boy who likes to hang out with my friends, who happens to like football and who once upon a time was on the school team, I cannot be normal.

Because of the fact that I can see those transparent, wall phasing, really annoying things, my parents have to move around a lot. I mean who wouldn't have to, if your kid could see and talk to the dead and get into trouble for trying to help them move on?

See, the thing with ghosts is, they all want to move on. But thanks to one unfinished business or another, they are stuck in this plane. No matter how much they want to, till that something is done, they remain stuck here.

Sometimes it's just a few days or weeks or months and sometimes it's quite a lot of years. For some reason unknown to me, I am always the one who is responsible for helping them move on. Too bad it's almost land me in a mental asylum three four times along the way.

Take this last ghost for instance. The last town, where we had moved a year back, had the ghost of this really weird green eyed girl. No matter what I did, she wouldn't leave me alone. In the end I had to go find that girl's boyfriend and help her communicate with the guy because all she really wanted was one last goodbye. After that she moved on.

The stupid pink haired green eyed ghost moved on and the family of the really rich boyfriend thought I was crazy and was out to kidnap their son or something. The police got involved and I was almost given my very own padded white room complete with a straight jacket.

Heaven knows how I got out of that one.

I blinked a couple of time, trying to clear my vision but all I could see before me were two bright green orbs hovering inches from my face.

"You're shivering," a soft melodious voice spoke in a quiet manner.

"That normally happens when I'm in the company of a ghost," I replied dully.

"Why? Do you get scared?" the pair of eyes backed away and the curious face of a brown haired girl came into my line of vision.

"I'm not scared of ghosts," I scoff lightly as I turn my back towards the ghost of a girl in her mid teens.

"Then why are you shivering?" she asked, appearing before me in a flutter.

"Because you guys freeze up everything," I reply, pulling the covers over my head.

"I don't see anything frozen," I hear her say.

"You don't freeze it literally," I turn under the covers, turning my back towards her once more. "It's more of a temperature drop."

"What's your name?" she asks all of a sudden as the covers lift themselves from my face.

"What the- Hey! Let go of the covers," I manage not to shout but whisper in a harsh tone.

"You didn't tell me your name," she repeated simply.

"Syaoran. Now will you please let me sleep?" I decided it was best not to argue.

"Of course," she gave me a bright smile. "Have a goodnight Syaoran." With that she vanished, the chill gone along with her.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I turn in bed one more time, pulling the covers upto my neck before settling into a comfortable position to sleep.

_**A/N: God! Here is another new story. Sheesh… will these plot bunnies ever leave me alone? Guess not. Anywho this little fic, which I might or might not continue (depends on the response that I will get), was actually inspired a little oneshot names "The Mediator" written by "**_**ohwhatsherface****".**

_**I'll try to update "what the hell", "whispers in the dark" and "tsubasa reservoir chronicles" soon as well as my other fics. Sorry I know I should not have started so many projects simultaneously but like I said. The plot bunnies won't leave me alone!**_

_**Leave a review if you want me to continue. ;)**_

_**Ciao!**_

_**PS. Although the identity of the ghost is quite obvious, anyone wants to hazard a guess? Oh and cookies for anyone who can guess the identity of the green eyed pink haired ghost and her rich boyfriend.**_


	3. Midnight Visits

_**A/N:**__** (Updated on 05-07-10) Sorry, this is not the actual update. I just put up a prologue for this fic, but in order to do that, I had to replace ch 1 and 2. this is the actual ch 2. The real update is the next chapter since this chapter is still untouched so those of you who haven't read this arleady, go ahead and check out the real ch 3. But those who haven't please, go ahead and enjoy.**_

_**And don't forget to review!  
**_

The bright light pouring in through the parted curtains of my window told me that it was morning. With a small annoyed grunt I turned in my bed, and tried to go back to sleep.

After fifteen minutes, though, I gave it up and decided to get out of bed. Sleep was not going to come to me again anytime soon.

I mentally replayed the conversation I had with the strange green eyed ghost last night, as I brushed my teeth. She seemed to be around my age, and from the way she had talked, was quite a cheerful one. Rinsing my mouth and placing my brush back in the holder, I tried to come up with possible reasons as to why she was still here.

She didn't seem like a murdered ghost out to find its killer or something since there wasn't any malevolent aura about her. Something which I had learnt to recognize after my first couple of run ins with this type of ghosts. I normally tried to avoid those.

Perhaps she had a message for someone close to her. Once that got through, she would pass on. I repressed a sigh, once I realized what was in it for me if that were the case for her. She most probably had a crazy over-protective older brother who wouldn't even believe me. And probably hate me from the moment he laid eyes on me.

Or maybe she was just lost. Although generally quite rare for ghosts but it was a possibility all the same. Well, whatever the reason for her sticking around was, it was once again, my job to help her.

"I just hope her relatives believe in ghosts." I muttered under my breath as I walked back into my room. My eyes fell on the wall clock and I let out a frustrated groan. It wasn't even 8 am yet.

Careful to not make any noise, I made my way to the kitchen and opened the fridge which only had a loaf of bread and some eggs inside. Taking two slices of bread and an egg, I walked over to the stove, my mind already going over ways to summon the ghost so I could talk to it.

Once I had finished my breakfast I cleaned my plate, put it away and returned to my room. Seeing the admission form on my table, I decided to fill those out. By the time I was done with that, my parents had also gotten up. The rest of my day had passed helping my mom unpack stuff around the house, moving heavier pieces of furniture in places she wanted. Around dinner, my father had informed me that he had submitted my forms earlier during the day and that I was to join school the very next day.

As it turned out, the procedure for joining the school here was much, much simpler and less time consuming as compared to all the other schools I had been to over all my years of moving around.

I had returned to my room, quite exhausted and had fallen asleep the minute my head had hit the pillow. Thankfully, the ghost girl did not show up that night, or the next morning. And even if she did, she did not wake me up. I remember feeling really chilly last night, so she might have paid me a visit while I had slept.

It was a Wednesday the next day but that was okay since the teachers didn't mind my being a couple of weeks late. The new term had started recently and they were quite positive that I would easily catch up with everybody else. Why they thought so, I had no idea.

Anyhow, one of the guys, Ryouh, I think his name was, informed me that tryouts for the football team were going to be held on the coming Saturday. When I had asked about how he knew I was interested in football, he had merely shrugged and answered with a grin, "I just do."

Thursday had been uneventful, except for me getting more homework then everybody else, since I had catching up to do.

Friday was equally boring and normal; Saturday was fun since as it turns out, the captain was impressed by the way I played and had decided to let me join the team.

Well Ryouh had said that, but I'm not quite sure if I had managed to _impress the captain_ as hehad put it. I don't think anything in the world would manage to impress him, ever. The captain's name was Kurogane Suwa.

The guy himself wasn't that bad, I suppose, but his really weird red tinted eyes and that constant frown was quite intimidating. But even then I had seen the way a group of girls would swoon every time he had the ball during the mock practice match.

The match was something Kurogane had devised to check the compatibility of the players in the team. How we worked alongside and stuff like that. He had stalked off immediately after the try-outs turned practice match.

Ryouh invited me over to his place for most part of the Sunday morning and my evening had been spent making assignments that were due the next day. During all these days, the ghost girl had not paid me even a single visit and, after a very, very long time in my life, I felt like I was just a normal teenage boy with a normal life that involved nothing paranormal.

I guess my luck ran out the minute my head hit the pillow that night.

I was almost asleep when my hair started prickling due to the cold sensation. I let out a mental groan. So much for hoping for a normal weekend, even though it was technically over five minutes ago when the clock struck twelve.

I kept my eyes closed hoping that she would go away if I pretended to be asleep.

"I know you're awake," she chirped in a happy tone, her cheery voice sounding way too close for comfort.

I decided to keep on pretending. Maybe she doesn't really know that I'm awake and is just depending on guesswork.

"What do you want?" I groaned after five minutes when I could still feel her persistent gaze on me.

"Nothing." She answered in the same annoyingly happy voice.

I cracked an eye open and felt like strangling the ghost girl. Who in the world goes around waking people up at _four_ a.m.?

"You woke me up at four am for nothing?" I tried to keep my voice level as I grit the words out.

"Well, I _was_ getting bored." She admitted casually.

"And you decided that it would be a good idea to wake me up?" _Must not shout. Must not shout._ I reminded myself. No need to wake up my parents to let them know that their son had yet again attracted a spirit towards him.

"Yup." She grinned widely.

"You do realize that I have school in the morning."

"So?"

_Must not shout. Must not shout. Must not…_

"I need to sleep!" I hissed angrily, pulling the covers over my face as I sank into the pillow once more.

"Okay." She answered but her chilly presence did not vanish.

"What do you want?" I sat up in bed after half an hour of fruitless efforts to get to sleep.

"Nothing." She answered simply as she walked over to my shelf and picked up a book on architecture. "Interesting collection you have here." she said as she riffled through the pages.

Wait a second. She was a ghost. She couldn't read my book. She shouldn't be able to even touch anything let alone pick up something for light reading.

"H-how did… How did you do that?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Do what?" she cocked her head to one side, jade-eyes full of curiosity as she replaced the book.

"Touch stuff. Pick up my book."

"Like this." She giggled, looking at me like I was the stupidest person in the world to not know. She pulled the book out once again.

"But you're a ghost."

"So?"

"Ghost's can't do stuff like that."

"Really?" she looked surprised. "I didn't know that. I've never met another ghost you see." She explained. "And I've always been able to do it."

I glanced at the clock to check the time once again and noticed that it was a little over 5 am. I heaved a sigh.

"Look, I'm sure you must find waking me up in the middle of the night very entertaining but I don't think my teachers would appreciate it if I fell asleep in class."

"So?" she grinned mischievously even though I knew she was smart enough to understand what I wanted.

"Can you please leave me alone so that I can go to sleep?"

"But this is my room." She said in a small voice.

"You're a ghost," I said simply, "Can't you just go downstairs and haunt the living room instead?"

As I pulled the covers over my head, the warmth in the room began to dissipate the cold chill. She left.

I thanked God under my breath and settled into the pillow in a more comfortable position.

_**A/N: Ah yes, just a little bit of shameless advertising. Please, please go and check out my latest fic, "Shattered Secrets". And maybe my read most popular fic so far 'Dead' along the way? ;) ;)**_

_**Hehehe... Like I said. Shameless advertising.**_

_**And now. Review!  
**_


	4. Perfect Way to Start a Day

_**A/N: I put up a prologue for this fic in place of chapter 1, which replaced chapter 2 which in turn was put up in place of chapter 3 which is here in place of chapter 4. My reason for stating that is that guys, go check out the prologue first.**_

_**I'm sorry about not putting it up before but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to put it up or not but in the end I decided that I do want one for this fic and so yeah, now you got one.**_

_**I still haven't revealed the name of the ghost haunting Syaoran's room, yet but how many of you think you know who it is? Let me know.**_

_**Oh and since I was replacing them anyways, I decided to give titles to all chapters.**_

_**This third one here is named 'Perfect Way to Start a Day'**_

The alarm was blaring annoyingly from the table next to my bed. With an irritated grunt I slammed my hand on top of it before turning over and settling into a more comfortable position in my bed.

-0-

"Oh shit!" I jumped to my feet, hastily throwing the covers on the floor which I had pulled along with me. I cast a glance in the direction of the digital clock.

7:45 a.m. It read.

I'm pretty sure if my mom heard me then I would be in for a really long talk, I wasn't raised to use such language but seriously with only fifteen minutes till the start of school and me having missed my bus and it being a ten minute walk to the institution what else could I do but curse in a very colorful language as I tried to multi-task.

Key term being _tried._ I was hopping towards the door on one foot as I pulled on my sock and tried to wear my uniform shirt at the same time.

"You shouldn't have slept in if you knew you had school." Great. Just what I needed to make the day even more perfect.

"Don't you have some graveyards to haunt or something?" I growled in irritation as I shoved my books in the bag. Why oh why didn't I pack them last night? I should have known, what with my rotten luck I was bound to have an accident of this sort sooner or later. Still trying to fit the books in the bag, I raced down the stairs.

"Syaoran, did you turn off your alarm again?" my mother called from the kitchen.

"Can't talk mom, late for school," I said as I pulled my left shoe on. Luckily they were plain black joggers without any shoelaces so that was one less thing I had to worry about. I dashed across the hallway and ran outside in the crisp morning air.

Unfortunately, my newest little problem decided that it would be a good idea to accompany me.

My eyes darted at the dial of wrist watch.

7:55 a.m.

Even more colorful words escaped my lips as I broke out into a sprint. The ghost had no problem with keeping up, however, much to my annoyance.

I managed to get through the double doors with only thirty seconds to spare. Not even bothering to head over to my locker to drop my stuff off, I ran towards my first class. I knew I could make it since it was just down the hall. And I nearly did too, but unluckily I crashed into someone's back at the last moment.

I could have sworn the hallways were deserted but somehow I had failed to notice this blond guy with the winter uniform's maroon sweater casually tied around his waist. It wasn't _that_ cold out yet which was probably why he wasn't wearing it.

"Sorry," I hastily grabbed my bag from the tiled floor before racing past him, quickly throwing the door to my classroom open second before the teacher did. I managed to drop in the empty seat next to Ryouh just as the teacher tuned around.

"Put your books and notebook away class," he announced cheerfully, "Its pop quiz time."

On my right, I heard Ryouh groan as the teacher began handing out the test papers. I on the other hand couldn't help but smile. Algebra. Piece of cake.

The rest of the day passed by without anything major happening, my stalker ghost had decided to vanish to wherever ghosts vanish off to and I was thankful to it for leaving me alone. I passed the blond guy in the hallways before my last class. He waved at me with a wide grin, "Sorry about this morning." He said.

"No problem," I shrugged.

"I'm Fai," he said as he fell into step with me.

"Syaoran."

"You're new here."

"Yeah, my family moved here last week."

"I see," he nodded, "Well then, Welcome to Moult High."

"Thanks."

The bell rang overhead signaling the last class was about to start. We normally had a ten minute break between all classes and the last one was over with that bell.

"See ya around."

"Oye Syaoran, I heard we're gonna be having another quiz." Ryouh grunted as he caught up to me near the door. I turned around to see if Fai was nearby but the hallways were empty save for me and Ryouh. "Come on dude, hurry. We'll be late for class."

"Oh and before I forget," he said as we neared the classroom, "Kurogane wants us at the field after school. We gotta practice for the upcoming match against Seika High."

"'kay," I responded and we entered the class. Just as he had predicted, we had another quiz. Lucky for me, history always held my interest so I wasn't on any trouble. I couldn't help but smile a little as Ryouh whined about how today just wasn't his day.

Yeah, he sucked not only at algebra but history too.

_**A/N:One word. **_

_**Review!**_

_**That is all. **_

_**Have a nice day.**_

_**-Nims.**_


	5. Pervert!

_**A/N: ~I'm back!**_

_**How have you been my faithful readers? I'm sorry for the long wait every time but this is one of those fics that I write only when my muse decides it is time for me to write this fic. I have a plot in my head and everything so don't you worry about that but I normally don't put something up until I am satisfied with what I have written and sadly for this one, I just wasn't happy with the previously written chapter. So after quite a lot of rewrites, I present to you chapter four.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

The practice went by just fine. My stalker ghost, that I have yet to learn the name of, did not show up there and I was thankful for that, since the whole shivers-running-down-your-spine-thing with the sun shining brightly in the sky is kinda annoying.

Fai showed up at the bleachers when practice ended, accompanied by a couple of girls. One of them had wavy, black hair that reached almost past her knees, despite the fact that she had it tied up in a high pony tail. The other one also had raven-colored hair, but she had deep crimson streaks in it and unlike her friend, her hair was pin straight. She had her book bag slung casually over one shoulder in a manner similar to Fai's.

Fai had lost his sweater by now, with the sleeves of his shirt unbuttoned and rolled up in a casual manner. A basketball was tucked under his right arm, so I figured he must be on the team.

"Yo! Kurgy!" I heard him call out and I saw the intimidating senior twitch for a second. I think they must be close friends. I mean, I don't think I could ever dare to call him 'Kurgy' and hope to survive. Yeah. He's _that_ scary. But the blond did not seem to be fazed in the least bit by the scowl on Kurogane's face. "Hurry up already."

With a sigh, our captain called it a day, which induced cheerful responses from the rest of the team. Everyone else headed back to the locker room to get their stuff, but I walked towards the benches a few feet behind Kurogane, since that was where I had thrown my things. He was the only one apart from me who did not head off to the lockers.

"Hey, Fai," I greeted the blond politely as I came close enough. I expected a casual hello from him at the very least, but he just gave me a strange look.

"Um… hello," He nodded, somewhat confused as he frowned at me, almost like he was trying to recall where we had met. I guess he couldn't remember, 'cause he said, "I'm sorry, but have we met?"

"I bumped into you before first period." I answered awkwardly, feeling the two girls stare at me along with Kurogane.

"First period?" his frown deepened.

"This is Syaoran," Kurogane decided to rescue me, "The kid's new here."

"Oh!" The girl with wavy hair exclaimed excitedly. I noticed that she had lavender-colored eyes, which seemed a little familiar for some reason, but I couldn't recall having seen them before.

"Syaoran Li, right?" She grinned excitedly. "I'm Tomoyo Daidouji." She extended her hand for a shake.

Tomoyo Daidouji. Even that name sounded familiar. But where had I heard it before?

"I'm Masooma," her friend smiled politely as she too shook my hand. I felt a strange, cool spark jolt my body when my fingers touched her skin. My eyes widened as I looked at her but she merely smiled, silently observing me with chocolate-colored eyes. "You're Mr. Li's son, am I correct?"

"Yeah." I answered, letting my hand drop to my side, wondering if she had felt that energy too, but her expression gave nothing away.

"You moved here recently, am I right?" Tomoyo looked thrilled for some reason as she looked at me.

"Yes," I answered. Even though I can freely admit that I was not scared by any of them, I was still feeling a little self-conscious and somewhat intimidated by the group. All of them were seniors.

"So, are we gonna keep on standing around here all day?" Fai asked with cheerful impatience. "Both of you grab your stuff and let's go."

"Both?" I repeated, letting the surprise show.

"You don't have anything else to do, right?" Masooma was the one who asked this.

"Not really." I shook my head, my tone a little cautious as I replied.

"Then you can come along," Tomoyo squealed rather loudly. "My mother is hosting an event at the local orphanage for the kids there and we volunteered to help."

"I didn't," Kurogane grumbled as he crossed his arms, but didn't say anything further when Tomoyo gave him a small glare.

"He was volunteered for the job," Fai laughed good-naturedly, "kind of like what just happened with you."

"Huh?" I responded _very_ intelligently. Before I knew it, Tomoyo had grabbed my bag and shoved it into my arms before I was being ushered in the direction of the parking lot.

I spotted a dark blue convertible and a black jeep near the entrance and it looked like that was where this group of seniors was headed.

"I'll drive!" Masooma and Tomoyo announced at the same time, each snatching the keys from Fai's and Kurogane's hands respectively. "Thanks!" they continued, with Tomoyo happily dumping her bag on Kurogane, and Masooma throwing hers in the backseat of the convertible.

"Syaoran can come with us," Tomoyo continued happily as she slipped in behind the steering wheel of the jeep, a mischievous grin on her face. I gulped, silently cursing my luck for getting myself into such situations.

-0-

The cool water soothed my aching muscles as I stepped under the shower five hours later. It was almost time for dinner, but I felt really sweaty and dirty, and I knew there was no way I could eat before I washed the grime off of my body.

You must be wondering why I was in such a state. Well, wonder no more, for I will enlighten you all.

The event that Mrs. Sonomi Daidouji was hosting for the orphanage, was actually a picnic in some hills nearby. I had to call home to let my mother know that I was going out with some friends. I could tell she was thrilled to hear that.

In all my years of helping ghosts move on, I hadn't really made a lot of friends, so yeah, who can blame her for being happy that her son was finally in the company of someone who was alive and breathing.

The trip, or the hike, to the picnic spot itself had not been as tiring as having to keep watch on the kids and stopping them from straying too far. What were they feeding those little creatures these days? I'm pretty sure I had never been such a handful when I was that age. My mother, however, had a different opinion. I was 'a bundle of endless energy' according to her.

Anyhow, even though those little brats had been tiring, it was still fun and I even began enjoying myself, daring to even laugh along with the other seniors at Kurogane when the seven-year-old Mokona proved to be too much for him to handle. She was one of the few kids who were not frightened by his unnaturally-colored eyes.

All in all, it was a rather eventful day, and I was beginning to think that maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all by the time I stepped out of the bathroom and into my room. The cool air hit my bare skin, making me shiver a little as I walked over to my closet. I peeked inside and pulled out a pair of my worn-out, but very comfortable jeans, and a plain white t-shirt.

I slid my legs into the jeans and buttoned them, carelessly tossing the towel on the bed behind me.

"I think green suits you more." My hands froze in middle of the motion of pulling on my shirt before I whirled around with a startled swear.

"Now, now, should you really be using such language in front of a lady, Syaoran?" she reprimanded me lightly, casually walking over to my bed before plopping down on the mattress with a relaxed sigh. She picked up my discarded towel and to my utter horror and embarrassment, brought it to her face and inhaled deeply.

"Sandalwood," she commented, gazing at me through the corner of her eyes. "I thought you'd be more of a chocolate kind of guy."

Despite myself, I could help but blurt out, "What sort of guy would use chocolate scented shampoos?"

"One who's in touch with his feminine side," she answered with a shrug before giving me her full attention. Goose bumps rose along my skin as another wave of pure cold hit me. "You know…" she said casually, "I've never really seen a shirtless guy before."

She appeared to be almost seventeen and she had never seen a guy without his shirt?

Wait a minute…

_I_ was seventeen and _I_ had never gone in front of a girl without a shirt! Heat rushed to my face as I noticed the sly grin on her face. Hastily I pulled on my shirt, eliciting a tinkling laugh from my yet-to-be-named stalker ghost.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked irritably.

"I was bored," she answered, like it was no big deal.

"And you figured waltzing into my room without even so much as a small warning would be a good idea?" I fumed, walking up to her, to snatch my slightly damp towel out of her hands. She was sniffing it again!

"Well…" she drawled, looking at me out of the corner of her eye, "yeah. Pretty much. And boy, am I glad I did."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms across my chest as I narrowed my eyes at her to show that I was not at all pleased by her behavior.

"Nothing" she shrugged, before grinning widely as she continued, "except for the fact that you've got really nice abs. Pity you had to wear that shirt."

"Ugh!" I groaned, the palm of my right hand smacking me across my forehead, "as if her being a stalker wasn't enough. She's a pervert, too."

"I'm sitting right here."

"I don't care." I responded, turning my back to her as I began walking towards the door that led out of my room. "You should leave by the time I get back from dinner."

"Awww… But I don't wanna…" I could hear the pout in her voice. A fraction of a second later, she appeared right in front of me, her jade eyes wide with unshed tears and her lower lip stuck out in a pout. It was the first time I noticed that she had a really cute face. Especially when she pouted.

Whoa! Now hold on just a second.

Did I just think that a ghost…a _dead_ girl was cute? What the heck was wrong with me?

"Leave me alone, you perverted stalker ghost-girl," I grumbled, shutting the door behind me with a loud bang.

"I'm not a pervert, nor am I a stalker!" she exclaimed loudly following me down the stairs but since I had not heard the door open, I think she must have phased through it. "And I have a name. It's Sakura. Sa-ku-ra!"

Cherry Blossom… well, she _was_ pretty.

Urgh!

Stop it.

Ghosts are _not_ attractive. Ghosts are dead! And dead girls are not the ideal girlfriend material.

No one but me can see them for one.

Then there is the fact that- Wait a second…

Why the heck was I listing all the pros and cons of having a ghost as a girlfriend?

She is a ghost.

She is _dead._

End of story.

"Go away, stalker ghost-girl." I grunted in annoyance, feeling angry with myself for all these strange thoughts as I raced down the stairs and hurried into the living room where my father was busy watching some news channel.

"No." she answered stubbornly as she followed me, "and _you_ can't make me."

"Stalker, pervert, _and_ a little kid." I muttered irritably under my breath, "great. Just what she needed to make herself more appealing." I wasn't talking very loudly but it was still loud enough for her to hear.

"I heard that!" she exclaimed indignantly from behind me, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from telling her that _that_ was the idea.

_**A/N: I wonder why Fai didn't seem to recognize him. And what was the spark he felt when he shook Masooma's hand?**_

_**You finally found out the name for our resident pervert ghost. (loll, like you had not been able to figure **_**that**_** out) **_

_**Anywho, review if you knew the girl was Sakura.**_

_**Review if you didn't know it was Sakura.**_

_**Review if you thought the scene between Sakura and Syaoran was funny. (By the way, yes. The chocolate scented shampoos really do exist, for those of you who didn't know. A friend of mine had one and I got to tell you, it smelled delicious. *drools*)**_

_**Review if you… aw what the hey, just leave a review okay? I'd love to hear what you guys think. Especially about the last part of the chapter. That scene was actually something that I had been wanting to do for a really long time and well, now I know I'm just shamelessly egging you guys for a response but I really **_**would **_**love to hear your opinion about it.**_

_**Till next time.**_

_**-Nims.**_

_**PS. If you guys have any suggestions for more such humorous scenes, please feel free to let me know. If I like the idea enough, I will make it a part of one of the upcoming chapters, while giving you the credit for it of course. **_


	6. Meeting Madam Mysterious

_**A/N: I'll be introducing two new characters in this chapter. See if you can figure out who is the first one. ;)**_

I shrugged on my bag as the last bell of the day, rang shrilly in the corridor outside. Ryouh and I parted ways near the gate since his house was in the direction opposite to mine.

"Your friend is kinda cute." I heard a voice speak and I groaned.

"And it was turning out to be such a good day." I grumbled loud enough for her to hear.

"You know, had it been someone else," my personal, perverted poltergeist said as she fell in step beside me, "they would have been offended on hearing you say that."

"I guess you're too stupid to get it then." was my irritated answer as I picked up the pace.

"Nope," she responded cheerfully, "I'm just too stubborn."

"No, really?" I said dryly as I took a left turn. I know, my street was to the right but I just wanted to get rid of her _before_ I went back home. I didn't want to deal with her at home.

"Umm… Syaoran, you shouldn't go in that direction." She said in a hesitant tone.

"I can go wherever I want." I stubbornly kept on walking.

"No, seriously, come back." I looked over my shoulder and noticed that she had stopped walking near the entrance to the street. She looked around, biting her lip before vanishing all of a sudden.

"Huh?" Where'd she go? Shrugging my shoulders, trying to keep the uneasy feeling at bay, I walked on ahead. The street I was on was the commercial part of town where the majority of official buildings were located.

The buildings here, while not exactly tall enough to fall under the category of skyscrapers, were still all a few stories tall. So the old Japanese-style home nestled comfortably in the midst of two such buildings seemed a little out of place. Stranger still was the fact that despite its outlandish appearance, it was one of those things that could easily be missed at first glance.

Intrigued by the half moon decorations adorning its roof and windows, I walked closer, till I was standing right outside the wooden fence. Similar moons also decorated the small partially opened gate. A familiar yet foreign aura seemed to be radiating from that place. I couldn't really describe the feeling that I got from looking at that building but it was comforting yet creepy at the same time. As if under a trance, I found myself pushing the gate open and walking inside.

Unable to stop myself, I pushed open the rice paper screen door and walked inside the building. I gained control of my body only when I was inside and the door had slid shut behind me.

"What the heck?" I muttered, feeling a little freaked out as I tried to open the door, only to find that it was stuck in place. A soft, shuffling sound reached my ears and I whirled around, eyes scanning the room I was in.

Nothing.

Gathering my wits, I decided to check out the place and search for another way out before the owner spotted me here and called the police for trespassing or something.

With my wonderful luck, however, I was not in the least bit surprised to find out that the next room I stepped in was occupied.

"Umm…" I mumbled, a blush coloring my cheeks as I hastily looked away from the sight of an Asian woman reclining on a low backed settee. Shit! I was in trouble now. What the heck was I going to tell her? It's not like she'd believe me if I told her I walked in here unintentionally.

"Oh, so _you're_ the newest addition to town."

Huh?

Somehow, that had not been what I had expected her to say to me.

"What?" I looked back at her, keeping my eyes decidedly on her face, trying to ignore the heat that seemed to be creeping up my cheeks.

"What a curious little boy you are." She laughed, climbing to her feet. I breathed a sigh of relief when the kimono like robe that she wore, fell down in a shimmering sheet of silk and covered up her long, creamy legs. Okay, not that I am into older women or anything, but this person before me was quiet beautiful. Dark, midnight colored hair, pale, smooth skin and curiously wine-colored eyes that seemed to hold infinite wisdom with a hint of mischief. The sight of her was breathtaking and she seemed to know it. "Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully, stepping closer to me and observing me through a critical eye.

"Interesting." She smelled of smoke, something exotic and sweet and I found myself getting entranced by her eyes. I started becoming drowsy as she stared at me. Reaching out with a slender fingered hand, she gripped my chin, moving my face this way and that as she looked at me like she was a biologist and I was an interesting specimen. "How peculiarly interesting." She said, letting go of me as she stepped away. She turned on her heel, sashaying back to the sofa as her long hair swished gracefully behind her back.

"U-uh… Sorry about intruding your home, ma'am," I mumbled, managing to get my mouth to finally function as she drew away from me.

"What is your name, boy?" she asked, giving no indication of having heard me as she elegantly sat back down. Reaching for something on the coffee table that was next to her, she turned her gaze back on me. Placing the long, butterfly adorned pipe in her lips she took a long drag, exhaling the smoke slowly as she patiently waited for my answer.

My mouth felt oddly dry as I gulped. Once. Twice.

"S-Syaoran." I stuttered. A distant part of my mind wondered what was wrong with me. I had never been this flustered before.

"Little Wolf." She nodded her head in acknowledgement, inhaling from the pipe once again. The smoke that drifted over to me smelled the same as her. Sweet. Pleasant. Intoxicating. "Do you know what this place is?" she spoke serenely.

"No." I shook my head, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. Something definitely did not smell right here. Not just literally.

"Then why did you come here?"

"I didn't." I blurted automatically.

"Oh?" her brow rose questioningly.

"Uh… It just happened. One minute I was walking down the street and the next minute I was stumbling in here. I'm not quite sure how it happened." I expected her to look at me in disbelief. Say that I was lying. Accuse me of trespassing on her property or something along those lines.

What I did not expect her to do was throw her head back in amusement, the sound of her clear laughter ringing in my ears, like the chiming of bells on an early spring morning.

"Then I believe now is not the right time for you to be here, young one." She said, looking back at me with a mysterious, cryptic look on her feature.

I felt my limbs grow heavy as a feeling of drowsiness, the same as when she had been scrutinizing me, began to overtake me. I felt my eyes droop and the last thing I saw before I was consumed by darkness was her wine-colored eyes observing me.

"Auntie, I'm home!" I heard someone announce in the distance but I wasn't quite sure about it.

The voice sounded familiar though.

_Knock! Knock!_

"Syaoran! Dinner's ready!" Blinking a couple of times, I realized that I was lying down. My mother knocked on the door once again. "Syaoran!"

"I'm coming, Mom." I called back, sitting up as I took in my surroundings in confusion. What the heck had that been? I was pretty sure I had been in that strange Japanese style building with that mysterious woman only moments ago. Glancing at the clock I realized it was eight thirty.

Maybe it had been a weird dream?

Yeah. That was probably it. It was just a weird dream. And nothing else.

Absently rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I climbed to my feet and made my way to the bathroom. Splashing the cool water on my face, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. For a fraction of a second I could have sworn that it was that woman's face looking back at me, but then I blinked and the familiar pair of amber eyes met my gaze.

-0-

"I have got to admit, Syaoran," the bane of my existence spoke from her spot next to me at the dining table, "your dad is a mean cook."

How could she say that, you may ask, when she is a ghost?

Well for some unexplainable reason, this perverted poltergeist of mine can actually consume food if she wants to. Luckily for me, my parents did not happen to notice the food floating off of my plate and vanishing into thin air due to the guest that we had over.

"Thanks for having me over for dinner, Mr. Li," the silver haired guy, my dad's assistant Yukito, smiled politely.

"Oh it was no problem at all, Yukito." My dad smiled at the guy in his early twenties, "After all the work you have done to help me out at the office, it's the least I could do."

"It was my pleasure, sir," Yukito shook his head before picking up a shrimp with his chopsticks.

"So, how was your day Syaoran?" My mother asked me.

"The usual," I answered, discreetly trying to steal back my dinner that a certain green-eyed annoyance was happily picking off of my plate. "Give it back." I hissed under my breath once I was sure that my mother's attention had diverted to Yukito.

"Why?" she plucked another shrimp from my plate, "I like it."

"Well, I'm hungry," I whispered harshly, "so give it back." I hissed

"With an attitude like yours, I doubt you'll ever manage to get a girlfriend." She said nonchalantly, munching slowly on _my_ dinner. "Mmmm… Damn! This reminds of the food Otou-san used to make." As soon as the words left her mouth, her whole body froze.

She looked down at the half eaten shrimp in her hands and then to me before her gaze travelled back to the shrimp. She did this quite a few times before she jumped to her feet all of a sudden, pushing back the chair she had been occupying next to me.

It screeched loudly before toppling over and falling with a loud thud.

Alarmed, my parents looked in my direction but my own gaze was fixed on the trembling ghost of the girl that had been haunting me ever since we came to this town. She looked around her with a frightened look before turning on her heels and racing out the door.

"Syaoran?" my mother questioned in a worried tone as I jumped to my feet.

"S-sorry mom," I don't know what made me do it but I was hurrying towards the door, after the ghost, "I just remembered, I forgot to get my Math notebook from Ryouh. We have a quiz tomorrow so I'm just gonna go and get it." without waiting for her response, I tore the door open, looking around wildly for any sign of her.

I caught a flash of auburn vanishing just around the corner of the street and I ran after her.

_**A/N: I tried to incorporate a bit of horror in this story since this involves ghosts and all but I get the feeling that I failed rather miserably, so now I'll ask you guys for your opinion. Do you want a bit of horror in this story? Or is it fine just the way it is? Also, how many of you were able to tell who the mysterious woman that Syaoran met was? And why did Sakura vanish like that on the street? What made her run away like that from Syaoran's house and what exactly is Syaoran going to uncover when he finds her?**_

_**Tell me what your speculations are and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.**_

_**Till next time.**_

_**-Nims**_


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